


Sachoota

by Caryn_B



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: M/M, Post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 01:44:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9694307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caryn_B/pseuds/Caryn_B
Summary: A potential catastrophe gives Han and Luke the chance to show just where their priorities lie.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A 15-minute challenge fic written for the old Yahoo Group in 2007.

"Try to stabilize it!" Luke shouted, gripping the flight elevator-stick with both hands.

"It won't stabilize!" Han yelled back. "The controls are all over the place!" Frantically he flipped switches and adjusted levers, but the ship refused to respond. "The computer's shut down," he added, his voice grim.

Luke frowned. "If we can't activate the repulsorlifts, we'd better hope the ground's soft."

"No way of knowing – we've lost all sensor readings."

"I'll go into the crawlway – work the repulsors manually," Luke said determinedly.

"No way!" Han snapped. "It's too dangerous. If we go down hard, that crawlway's gonna be the first thing to go."

"Do we have a choice? If we hit rock this fast, neither of us will be around long enough to worry."

Han stared at him for a few seconds. "Then _I'll_ go," he said.

Luke shook his head. "There's no time to argue about it. I'll be able to fit in there more easily than you. It's as simple as that. Can you take over here?" 

Luke edged out of his seat, still gripping the elevator-stick in an attempt to keep the ship level. Han slid into the seat behind Luke, wrapping his fingers around the stick's handgrips so that Luke could let go.

"Soon as you've done it, you get outta there," Han growled as Luke yanked open the hatch that led down to the crawlway.

"I don't plan on hanging around." Luke tossed him a wry grin before disappearing down the ladder.

****

The sublight engines were burning out. Han could smell the fused circuits and hear the stuttering of damaged thrusters. He could also see the planet's surface, and it didn't do much for his remaining optimism. So much for a soft landing.

The sound of the repulsorlifts kicking in overrode the squeal of the failing sublights, and Han guessed from the strong kickback he felt beneath his hands, that Luke had miraculously managed to activate the emergency power boosters.

"Where the hell are you?" he yelled at the hatch. They had some chance of surviving this now, because the cockpit was reinforced to sustain blast damage, but there was no way the crawlway would last. The whole of the ship's undercarriage was going to be ripped to shreds. And Luke wouldn't be able to move very quickly in the narrow tunnel. The ship was a Sullustan blastboat, designed for their slighter frames. Luke would have to back out of the passage – there was no room to turn around. Then there was the ladder to climb...

Han stared at the approaching mountains, knowing their descent might still be too fast. Indecision froze him to the seat for a couple of seconds, because Luke was relying on him to keep the ship level. This close though, it wasn't going to make a lot of difference, and the repulsors were more-or-less doing the job for him. Instinct won, and with a muttered curse he left the blastboat to its own devices and lunged for the hatch.

Luke had made it to the ladder, but there were only seconds left. Han extended his hand, gritting his teeth as Luke's grip coincided with the first touch of the ship to ground. The blastboat lurched wildly, and Han felt Luke jump at the same time as the full collision flung him backwards.

It seemed to take an eternity for the sound of rending, crunching metal to stop. When it eventually did, Han and Luke found themselves wedged up against the cockpit blastscreen, dazed, bruised and battered, but otherwise intact. 

"You okay?" Luke asked, hauling himself to his feet unsteadily.

"Just great," Han grunted, his ears ringing from the impact. He edged across the floor, peered down through the buckled hatch to what remained of the crawlway. Looking up, he caught Luke's questioning gaze and shook his head. There was no need to say anything.

"Thanks," Luke said.

"What for?"

"The hand."

Han shook his head with disbelief. "You're crazy, d'you know that?"

Luke shrugged. "Well at least it worked."

"That's not what I meant," Han said. "You've just saved us both from gettin' spread across these mountains, and you're thanking _me_?"

Luke didn't reply, just smiled and walked across to the cracked viewport. "So this is Sachoota."

"Yeah. Good to be here," Han muttered sardonically. "Y'know, Ackbar ain't gonna be too happy when he finds out what we've done to the ship."

"At least we're still around to tell him."

"Except I think we'll have a problem tellin' anyone anything."

They both looked at the communications panel. The blackened, twisted stump of the transmissions module projected from the console at an abnormal angle. There was no possibility of repairing it, especially as the ship's computer was now as lifeless as the surrounding landscape.

"Then we'd better start walking," Luke suggested.

"Where to? There's no sign of anything for miles," Han protested.

Luke pointed to a far-off gap in the mountains. "Through there. There's a town in the valley beyond it." 

Han raised his eyebrows. "More simple tricks and nonsense, huh?"

Luke grinned at him. "That's right. By the way, I hope you're feeling strong."

"Why?" Han asked suspiciously.

"This planet was once run by Hutts. They named it Sachoota."

"So?"

"Sachoota is Huttese for stormy. Listen."

Han did so, and with a sinking heart realized that only part of the high-pitched howling in his ears was caused by their abrupt landing. No wonder the place was so barren. The wind had swept every last vestige of soil from the surface of the land, leaving the exposed mountains devoid of anything alive. 

"And what's the bettin' we have to walk right into the wind?" Han scowled.

****

Han proved to be partly correct, but it was worse than either of them could have imagined. The mountains channeled the wind in such a way that it attacked them from all directions. They'd wrapped up as well as they could before leaving the ship, but the wind ripped at their clothing, exploiting any gaps it could find. Talking was impossible amidst the noise, and it was difficult to keep their eyes open against the strongest gusts. 

The ship had crashed on a small plateau, and although they had reason to be thankful for that, it meant there was an element of climbing to do before the descent to the valley began. They approached a high ridge, slippery underfoot and with no obvious route across it. They studied it dubiously for a few moments.

Luke gestured upwards and Han simply nodded, knowing there was no point in attempting to talk. He suspected Luke meant to scale the ridge in order to check it was possible to get down the other side. He burrowed further into his jacket and waited whilst Luke scrambled up the rocky face. 

He watched Luke reach the top, where he braced himself against the wind and shielded his eyes to look down on the valley. Then he turned round, giving a nod of confirmation and an indication that Han should follow him up.

Han had made it half way when he realized something was wrong. Luke had crouched down, signaling urgently to Han to hurry. Frowning, Han looked behind him, swore beneath his breath, and tried to climb faster.

It looked a little like a dust cloud, and if Han hadn't known better he might've ignored it. It wasn't so much the size of it, as the shape. An ominous, tapering cylinder, gathering momentum and sweeping relentlessly towards them. Their only hope was to reach the other side of the ridge, which might offer some refuge.

His climb was hampered by the smoothness of the rock and the stronger gusts that heralded the approach of the whirlwind, and Han knew he was running out of time. As he got closer to the top, Luke inched down to meet him, extending a hand. The instant Han gripped it, Luke hauled Han up the final stretch of the slope. Together they half scrambled and half tumbled down the other side, before huddling up against the rock in an attempt to protect themselves from the cyclone.

Once again, their luck held out. The whirlwind was following the path of least resistance, and as it skirted the ridge, only the very edges of the vortex brushed against the rock where Han and Luke crouched. The noise was deafening, and the strength of the wind tore the oxygen from the air, but in moments it had passed by.

They watched the whirlwind move down the valley towards the compact settlement, sheltering behind a tall durasteel defense wall. There was no need to wonder about the necessity for the wall.

Han leaned in towards Luke, shouted in his ear. "Thanks."

"What for?" Luke mouthed back.

"The hand."

A look of surprise crossed Luke's face as he looked down to where he still held Han's hand in a firm grasp. He released it and looked back up at Han, a slow smile breaking out across his face. "Any time," he said.

Han grinned back at him. "I'll hold you to that." He glanced towards the settlement nestling behind its barricade. "And probably sooner than you think," he added, although the wind caught those words, and whisked them away unheard.


End file.
